March 10, 2014 You shall love your neighbor as yourself.(Leviticus 19:18) We are familiar with what Jesus calls the “two great commandments” of the Law: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart. . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37, 39). But these commandments can seem so vague that we may not know how to observe them. Here in Leviticus, where these words first appear, there are plenty of specifics. Don’t steal or cheat. Don’t take advantage of the poor. Don’t disparage those with disabilities or make things more difficult for them. Don’t stand by idly when you could be helping someone in need. Instead of hanging on to resentment or seeking revenge, tell your neighbor what he’s done wrong, and then let him resolve it with the Lord. Jesus is just as specific. We may sometimes wonder how we can love a Messiah who is invisible and who lives up in heaven. He can seem so distant to us, so different from the people we encounter every day. Or is he? If you want to see Jesus, look into the eyes of someone who is poor, hungry, homeless, sick, or imprisoned. Look into the eyes of a friend or family member who is suffering in some way. Listen carefully to what this person is saying—and is not saying. Stay long enough to find Jesus, so that you will end up treating him or her as you would treat the Lord. This can seem overwhelming, especially when we think about how limited our own resources are. How can I possibly show this person real love? The key comes in God’s word to the Israelites: “I am the Lord” (Leviticus 19:18). It is as if Jesus is telling us, Here I am, looking through the eyes of this man’s homelessness, that woman’s poverty, this child’s woundedness. They are all “these least brothers of mine,” and when you look at them, you see me. When you serve them, you serve me. When you love them, you are loving me. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta would often say that it was a privilege to care for the poorest of the poor because they offered her so many opportunities to meet Jesus. May we all find this same privilege as we minister to the needy ones among us—even those in our own families! “Jesus, open my eyes so that I can see you and love you in my neighbor.” Psalm 19:8-10, 15; Matthew 25:31-46
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 11:31:00 +0000
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